Theo John (L) had 15 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots against DePaul.
MBB Minute -- Providence and Marquette Wins Leave Eight Teams with Four Losses Each in Standings
A Providence win on the road and a Marquette victory at home on Wednesday gives the BIG EAST standings the oddity of having eight of 10 teams with four losses.
Providence pulled out a 64-62 win at Xavier which improved the Friars’ overall record to 12-7 and 2-4 in the BIG EAST. The Friar bench scored 30 points, led by Isaiah Jackson’s team-high 13 points. Alpha Diallo and Nate Watson each added 11 points and six rebounds. Paul Scruggs led the Musketeers (11-9, 3-4) with 14 points. Tyrique Jones and Zach Hankins each contributed 12 points.
Marquette remained unbeaten at home at Fiserv Forum with a 79-69 win against DePaul. The Golden Eagles (17-3, 6-1) have a six-game winning streak and are 14-0 in their new home. Against the Blue Demons, Marquette built a 40-27 halftime lead, then held off Blue Demon comeback attempts which cut the lead to four points on four occasions. Theo John helped MU with 15 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. Markus Howard scored a game-high 23 points.
With Wednesday’s results, home teams hold only an 18-15 edge in conference play with 16 of the 33 conference games decided by six points or less.
Thursday is dark on the BIG EAST schedule. On Friday, the lone contest is Butler at Creighton on FS1 at 8:30 p.m. ET. As part of the nationwide Coaches vs. Cancer event, Bluejay players will wear pink shooting shirts and pink jerseys. All 10 BIG EAST schools are participating in related Coaches vs. Cancer events this week.
In the first meeting between the Bulldogs (12-8, 3-4) and Bluejays (11-8, 2-4), Butler won 84-69 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Jan. 5. The Bulldogs’ Kamar Baldwin scored a game-high 28 points. As BIG EAST members, Butler holds a 6-5 edge in the series between the two teams. Creighton is led by Ty-Shon Alexander’s 17.5 scoring average. Creighton currently ranks second nationally in 3-point shooting at 43.1 percent.